


Kings Cross Station

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [14]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: As the end of the school year arrives, the trio head back to London but Yato finds himself in a spot of trouble.Thank you to Gio (the_musical_alchemist) for beta-ing me!For the 1st anniversary of the Skype chat <3





	Kings Cross Station

On Sunday morning, the students were officially evicted from the school for the summer, not that many people saw it as a bad thing.

Though most of the students wore their robes until they got back home, or changed on the train, Yato was quick to stuff his own into his case and wear normal clothing before heading up to the main courtyard.

Huddles of third years from all houses alike had taken to letting off pranks, sending puffs of smoke up from the courtyard to make the younger students scream in surprise. A gang of Gryffindor students, presumably fifth years from their lanky stature, had soared out of the castle doors on broomsticks and hurtled towards the carriage park, being chased up by a rather red-faced Kiun.

Yato smirked, shifting his own broomstick strapped on his back and towing his suitcase behind him as he left the castle grounds.

A steady trickle of students filed out of the courtyard, bags and holdalls banging against each other as they made their way across the bridge to part of the forest where they could catch a bumpy ride to the train station.

The Hogwarts Express was already waiting when they arrived, gleaming red and black in the early morning sunshine. A few earlier students had loaded their pets and belongings into the luggage area and claimed the best compartments on the train so they wouldn’t have to share with any except their friends.

Yato sat on his battered suitcase, which had a habit for clicking open so it had to be tied with a length of rope, at the short platform of Hogsmeade Station. He watched as the train porters helped the smaller students with heavy bags, and when a small girl demanded her snake needed ‘to have a run around’ in the carriage.

Yato glanced around. No one he knew had arrived yet, and Nora seemed to have completely vanished that night in the dungeons after he essentially told her he was done with that family.

However, her warning from a few days ago had unnerved him. The Heir of Slytherin has returned apparently. If they have, it meant that something very bad was going to happen if the rest of the legend, particularly the Chamber of Secrets and its beast, was true.

The trickling crowds of students that had just arrived on fresh carriages would conceal Nora’s short stature in any case as they began to swarm to the luggage carriage, and he doubted she would want to see him again since he had all but refused to come back. The only trouble now was finding a place to stay for the next six weeks…

“Yato!”

Yato turned his head to the left, where Hiyori was lugging a suitcase that was about to burst at the seams. Hiyori’s suitcase – nearly half her size and twice her weight thanks to being overloaded with books – proved a difficult task to get from the tower all the way down to the ready and waiting self-drawn carriages. It took herself and two other students to pull it onboard, and nearly crushed another when getting it off when they arrived at Hogsmeade. Not to mention the owl cage perched precariously on top where Sky gave her a scathing look and ruffled her feathers at being treated so undignifiedly.

“Are you taking the whole castle home with you?” Yato asked with a grin, watching Hiyori huff as the tiny wheels of the suitcase were about to crack from the weight, leaving her to half-pull half-drag it alongside him.

“Thanks for the help,” she wheezed. She set Sky’s cage on the ground and, following Yato’s example, sat on her suitcase as the single bench on the platform was overrun by a growing number of owl cages.

“Any time.” Yato cocked his head at the owl by his feet. “You never said you had an owl.”

“How do you think I sent letters home?” Hiyori asked, rummaging through her bag for something. “Or got Christmas presents?”

“Fair point.”

They sat in quiet for a moment, Hiyori’s continued rustling and the chatter of surrounding students filling the empty air. With a small ‘ah’, Hiyori flourished a purple wrapper from her satchel and tore it open. Yato frowned at it as she broke some of the dark contents off and popped it in her mouth. Hiyori looked at him sideways and held the bar out to him.

“What’s that?”

“Chocolate.”

Yato looked at it as if it were foreign to him. No chocolate he tried looked like that. He held it between his finger and thumb and sniffed it.

“Is it Choco-Loco?” he asked. At Hiyori’s _‘eh?’_ he began listing more names, “Wizochoc? Honeyduke's Chocolate Fudge?”

“It’s Cadbury!”

“Cad-what?”

“Muggle chocolate,” Hiyori said exasperatedly. She would have at least thought that there would be some normal chocolate in the wizarding world.

“What does it do?” Yato broke a row off and gave the slightly melted bar back to Hiyori.

“Nothing, it’s just chocolate.”

Yato snorted. “That’s boring.”

“I don’t want to get attacked by whatever they sell here!” Hiyori protested. She no longer had a trust for magical sweets after Yato’s tricks with the mice and jelly beans.

Yato shrugged and shoved the whole thing in his mouth, Hiyori rolling her eyes at his manners and stashing the rest away for later if it hadn’t melted by then. After a moment of mouth-smacking, Yato swallowed the sweet mess and nodded.

“Magic chocolate is still better.”

Hiyori grumbled, folding her arms. After a few minutes of ignoring him, she finally said, “What are we waiting for? The train compartments will be taken up if we don’t get on soon.”

As if rehearsed, Yato stood up suddenly and turned to look behind her. “Him.”

Hiyori twisted around to where, towing a considerably small suitcase, Yukine was ambling over.

“Hey!” Hiyori said, a grin splitting across her face, to which Yukine looked surprised and turned his face away, pink-cheeked.

“You were waiting?” he asked, trying to keep a stoic expression that hid his delight to see her waiting for him.

“Of course,” Yato said breezily as if the whole thing had been planned, clearly missing the glare Yukine shot him. “Let’s go.”

Yato gripped the worn handle of his case and walked off, leaving Yukine to trail in his wake along with Hiyori, who looked dreadful at the thought of having to pick up her case again. After a few lumbering steps and a lot of squawking from Sky, Yukine took pity on Hiyori. Leaving his own bag on the platform he helped her wrestle it over to a sweaty porter who look astonished that such a small person could have so much baggage.

Yato had already stepped up onto the train and was watching from the train door, waiting for the pair to collect Yukine’s bag from the platform and board the train. Halfway down the corridor they found what seemed to be the last empty compartment in their carriage.

Yato slid the door open and looked around as he stepped in, half expecting something to be waiting for him. Once satisfied it was just them, Yato flopped onto the worn plush cushions, patterned blue and black beneath the old monochrome framed photos that hung in the compartment.

Yukine sat next to the window opposite Yato, dropping his suitcase at his feet and nearly crushing Yato’s toes in the process.

Hiyori sat next to Yukine and fussed over her satchel, suspecting the sweet smell of chocolate was melting onto her book, which caught Yukine’s attention.

“Chocolate frogs?” he asked, craning his neck hopefully.

Hiyori mumbled a ‘no’ and let out a small grumble as her fingers were met by gooey liquid, confirming her suspicions as she withdrew her hand to find her fingertips coated in chocolate. Yukine’s hopes seemed to be crushed. He would have to wait until the sweet trolley passed by so that he could get one for himself.

The clamour outside on the platform had risen in volume as straggling students made their way onto the train, firecrackers popping and delighted screams erupting from the corridor outside. Looking out over the scenery from his spot by the window Yato could see the distant village of Hogsmeade, nestled in the valley and slightly obscured by copses of trees whose leaves had rebirthed into vivid shades of green.

With a loud bang, the door to their carriage was thrust open. Hiyori’s head spun to see that in the narrow doorway stood Bishamon. Her expression contorted into one of disgust as her glare fell on Yato.

“Get out, Yato,” Bishamon said dismissively.

Yato cracked a half smirk. “Make me, Princess.”

“Now, now, don’t fight.” Kazuma’s head popped up behind Bishamon’s right shoulder, bespeckled and looking worried at the potential duel that could break out at any second.

He looked at Hiyori and gave her a shaky smile.

“Mind if we join you? Everywhere else is full.”

Hiyori threw a glance at Yato who remained passive, as if wanting to bait Bishamon. This could be a long trip. She returned Kazuma’s pressed smile and shuffled closer to Yukine. “Sure.”

Bishamon kept her eyes on Yato as she moved into the carriage, sitting next to Hiyori whilst Kazuma sat on Yato’s bench, perhaps in order to stop them from lunging at each other should Yato set Bishamon off on a rampage.

The air was filled by an uncomfortable silence, interrupted by the sudden grating of train wheels on track as they pulled away from the station, gathering speed as they began their journey back to London.

“So,” Hiyori said cheerfully after a few minutes of hostile silence, “do you have class together?”

Bishamon made a sound, neither indicating yes or no to her question but the thousand-yard stare she gave Yato told her that if they did share class, it never ended well.

“Defence Against the Dark Arts,” Kazuma responded, hands shifting nervously. “As well as some Quidditch practice games.”

“Oh yes! I watched the three of you playing against each other!” Hiyori said a bit to excitedly, happy for a topic that she was interested in, and one that could lighten the mood. “Do you always train together?”

“Not exactly, the pitch gets double booked so we have to share,” Kazuma replied. It seemed like only he and Hiyori were invested in the conversation as Yukine stared out of the window, whereas Yato and Bishamon stayed silent.

Hiyori recalled the times she had watched the three of them play, and the fact that they were all Seekers for their respective teams. Maybe complimenting their skills would lighten the mood…

“You’re very talented Seekers,” she said, leaving the conversation open for either of them to answer. “I’d never seen any other matches get so close--”

“He caught it by a hairs breadth,” Bishamon interjected with a scoff. Kazuma’s eyes shifted away to the window, apparently guilty of stealing Bishamon’s victory, even if it were fair and square.

“And _he_ ,” Bishamon jutted her chin to Yato, “used an illegal move.”

Hiyori wasn’t quite sure what an ‘illegal move’ was as it seemed that anything went in Quidditch. Yato suddenly gave a short, sharp laugh and elbowed Kazuma in the ribs.

“D’aww the Princess is still upset that she didn’t beat us, Kazuma.”

Kazuma gave a nervous laugh and shuffled away from Yato, rubbing his ribcage and fearing the impending wrath of Bishamon that Yato seemed to want to share with him.

The fact that Bishamon’s hair didn’t change colour as a sinister grin spread across her face was a miracle.

“Call me that one more time,” she said in a low tone, obviously trying to control herself from letting him wind her up.

“That’s a scary face,” Yato chided. Hiyori could see that he was trying to get Bishamon to bite back, and she wasn’t entirely sure that Bishamon wouldn’t take it. “And you wonder why I saw you as a Dark Creature when I had to practice my protection charms.”

Bishamon looked just about ready to stand up and deck Yato into the next carriage until Hiyori got a firm hold on her sleeve.

“You hexed me all through the first year!” Bishamon had to stop herself from hollering at Yato who stayed complacent in his seat with a faint smile. Yukine was now spectating this exchange, and Kazuma was eyeing the door for a chance of escape. It was a good thing that Hiyori was between the two, or else things could get hairy.

“Where’s your proof?” Yato asked with a smirk, knowing that that look Hiyori gave Bishamon was one that he had seen a lot that year. One that pleaded to not do something that would be regretted later.

“You used a combined attack of smokescreen and sparks, then finished it up with the knockback jinx!” Bishamon seethed between gritted teeth.

“You’re not really angry for me practicing my Defence Against the Dark Arts?” Yato responded innocently. “I mean, I needed to protect myself from you.”

Hiyori’s grip tightened on Bishamon’s wrist when she felt it twitch as if itching to punch Yato. “Can’t you two make up?”

“Bury the hatchet?” Kazuma chimed in.

“Whatever makes you happy,” Yato said nonchalantly with a turn of his head, ending the conversation.

Muttering something under her breath, presumably about burying said hatchet in Yato’s face, Bishamon gave a curt nod of her head, thus ending their rivalry for now.

Though it wouldn’t be an eventful ride, it certainly would be a quiet one.

 

~

 

By the time evening had fallen, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into the sleepy hollows of outer London, skirting along the edge of the city with plumes of white steam trailing from its chimney. As Hiyori expected, the ride was peaceful.

The silence that preceded Yato and Bishamon’s argument was eventually broken by small chatter between Yukine, Hiyori and Kazuma as they discussed summer plans. Yukine and Yato both raided the sweet trolley when the dear old lady passed by their compartment, buying as many chocolate frogs as their pouches of sickles could get them whilst their companions stuck to pumpkin pasties.

Hiyori watched the scenery eventually give way to worn grey buildings and scrubby brush, soon replaced by the crisscrossed tracks of Kings Cross Station where they shuddered to a halt with a hissing of pistons.

Bishamon flounced out of the carriage the moment the train doors clacked open, extending a cordial farewell to Hiyori and Yukine. The thought of being stuck with Yato any longer than necessary was nearly repulsive to Bishamon despite their peace treaty.

Kazuma awkwardly stood to follow, saying his farewells with a nod at the remaining trio before he too vanished into the sea of students coursing towards the exits.

Yukine and Hiyori were swamped the moment they stepped out from their compartment, barely able to see over the crowds of upperclassmen. Yato, slightly taller than them, had to crane his neck to peer through the students that had begun to spill onto the platform to join long awaited family members.

Once they too were on the platform, Hiyori deviated towards the luggage carriage, battling her way through the crowds of parents and younger siblings who found delight in the gifts that her schoolmates had brought back with them.

Yukine and Yato fought their way to a clearer spot next to the red brick wall where the muggle Kings Cross Station waited on the other side, narrowly avoiding being bashed by oversized holdalls and rattling trolleys whilst they waited for Hiyori.

“Aren’t you going to get your stuff?” Yukine asked Yato, remembering that his own luggage was waiting to be collected.

Yato eyed the overrun luggage carriage of the train. “And get killed? Not yet, thanks.”

Yato scuffed the ground with the toe of his shoe, apparently in no rush to get home. Yukine held back any questions that might lead to a long conversation, looking around the crammed platform as if expecting someone to pick him up at any moment.

Hiyori had heaved her luggage on a free trolley and recklessly steered it back to the boys, dumping her owl cage on the floor once she’d landed the trolley halfway in the path of commuters.

Without warning, Hiyori quickly stepped forward and enclosed Yukine in a brief hug. She discreetly glanced over at Yato, wondering if it would be appropriate to also hug him so unexpectedly. Scooping the owl cage up, Hiyori awkwardly folded her hands in front of her and pretended not to notice Yukine’s bright red face.

“See you soon!” she said with a bright smile, returned by a blushy grin from Yukine and a mumbled goodbye from Yato. _Good thing she didn’t hug him._

Balancing the owl cage precariously on top of the trolley, Hiyori veered away through the crowd before plunging into the brick wall after a moment’s hesitation. A small silence filled the space between Yato and Yukine, neither one knowing what to say as they waited for something.

After a minute Yukine suddenly spoke up.

“My lift’s here,” Yukine announced, plucking his bag up from his feet. “See you in September.”

Yato grunted at this, watching him get swept into the crowd easily towards whoever had come to pick him up.

_And then there was one…_

He waited for a few moments before moving, pushing his way to the luggage carriage and grabbing his battered suitcase which had been piled on the side along with other baggage. Using it as a shield, Yato weaved through the clamouring students trying to push him back to reach their own bags until he reached the portal which led to the muggle Kings Cross Station. Wizards and witches, families and friends had all piled through in small numbers, but he faced it alone.

With nowhere to go, and nowhere to return, Yato vanished.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaa that wraps up the Philosophers Stone Arc! As I said in the previous chapter notes, you can see I'm not following the original story for plot reasons. 
> 
> We're gunna have a few chapters of build up til e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶g̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶ we enter the Chamber of Secrets Arc.
> 
> Stay tuned!


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